# \[Fatal Error\] :1:1: Content is not allowed in prolog **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Created:** [January 27, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566 "2026-01-27T14:12:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bkarabinchak.psi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/bkarabinchak.psi/32/83567_2.png) [@bkarabinchak.psi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/bkarabinchak.psi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566/1 "2026-01-27T14:12:14Z")
Using Ignition 8.1.47. Started Designer to work on a project that is hosted on an external server. Noticed the following error appear a few times. ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/e/2/e2d9286339dde815592a35dfdd91472360b8177c.png) Then when I went to try to edit a report for many of them I started getting the following error ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/original/3X/9/f/9f0e5d0deba1b8667b59e23e24bee43239bb5900.png) Full stacktrace ```python com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.xmlserialization.SerializationException: Unexpected parsing error during XML deserialization. at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.xmlserialization.deserialization.XMLDeserializer.deserializeXML(XMLDeserializer.java:418) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.xmlserialization.deserialization.XMLDeserializer.deserialize(XMLDeserializer.java:281) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.xmlserialization.deserialization.XMLDeserializer.deserialize(XMLDeserializer.java:259) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.ResourceEditor.deserialize(ResourceEditor.java:122) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.ResourceEditor.deserialize(ResourceEditor.java:106) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.ResourceEditor.loadResource(ResourceEditor.java:62) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.ResourceEditor.(ResourceEditor.java:39) at com.inductiveautomation.reporting.designer.workspace.ReportingResourceEditor.(ReportingResourceEditor.java:66) at com.inductiveautomation.reporting.designer.workspace.ReportingResourceWorkspace.newResourceEditor(ReportingResourceWorkspace.java:486) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.TabbedResourceWorkspace.open(TabbedResourceWorkspace.java:267) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.TabbedResourceWorkspace.open(TabbedResourceWorkspace.java:248) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.tabbedworkspace.ResourceNode.open(ResourceNode.java:129) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.designer.navtree.model.AbstractResourceNavTreeNode.onDoubleClick(AbstractResourceNavTreeNode.java:428) at java.desktop/java.awt.event.InvocationEvent.dispatch(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue$4.run(Unknown Source) at java.base/java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Unknown Source) at java.base/java.security.ProtectionDomain$JavaSecurityAccessImpl.doIntersectionPrivilege(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForFilters(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForFilter(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source) at java.desktop/java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source) Caused by: org.xml.sax.SAXParseException; lineNumber: 1; columnNumber: 1; Content is not allowed in prolog. at java.xml/com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.parsers.AbstractSAXParser.parse(Unknown Source) at java.xml/com.sun.org.apache.xerces.internal.jaxp.SAXParserImpl$JAXPSAXParser.parse(Unknown Source) at com.inductiveautomation.ignition.common.xmlserialization.deserialization.XMLDeserializer.deserializeXML(XMLDeserializer.java:404) ... 25 more Ignition v8.1.47 (b2025022612) Java: Azul Systems, Inc. 17.0.13 ``` Any ideas what to do to fix this? I have daily backups and can revert but a coworker did do a lot of work yesterday (not on these reports) that would get lost if I did so. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566/2 "2026-01-27T14:15:13Z")
Take a gateway backup of the current state before you revert, so you can cherry pick the modified resources. ---
**Author:** ![bkarabinchak.psi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/bkarabinchak.psi/32/83567_2.png) [@bkarabinchak.psi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/bkarabinchak.psi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566/3 "2026-01-27T14:16:06Z")
You think this is non-recoverable and I will need to revert? ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 2:16pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566/4 "2026-01-27T14:16:56Z")
Error on line 1 implies the resources got stomped somehow. So, yes. ---
**Author:** ![bkarabinchak.psi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/bkarabinchak.psi/32/83567_2.png) [@bkarabinchak.psi](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/bkarabinchak.psi)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 3:56pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/fatal-error-1-content-is-not-allowed-in-prolog/113566/5 "2026-01-27T15:56:05Z")
Thanks Phil. Last nights backups the reports were fine, exported into the project, and the `[Fatal Error] :1:1: Content is not allowed in prolog` went away from designer when it starte dup and things worked as normal. Good reminder to set up automatic backups for a new project ASAP for just this sort of scenario!